Private Photo Vault Alternatives for iPhone
The main alternatives to Private Photo Vault on iPhone are Cryptile, Obscura, Encamera, Safe Lock and Apple's Hidden album. Choose by the one thing you want to change: ads, price model, how encryption is described, or where the backup lives.
Try Cryptile free: join the beta on TestFlight
What do I need to know?
- Read the App Privacy label. It shows whether an app tracks you, in Apple's own format.
- Look for a named cipher. "Encrypted" alone does not tell you how.
- Export before you delete. Deleting a vault app deletes what is stored in it.
Why do people look for a Private Photo Vault alternative?
These are things you can check on Private Photo Vault's App Store listing, checked 2026-10-26.
- Ads. The listing says the app contains advertising.
- Unclear price periods. Premium is listed at $6.99, $12.99, $35.99 and $39.99. The periods are not shown.
- Free backup. The listing says the free version does not back up to Cloud Vault.
- Encryption detail. The cipher is not named on the pages checked.
What are the alternatives?
Each line uses only what that app's listing states. "Not stated" means the listing does not say.
- Cryptile. Pattern unlock and AES-256-GCM on every file, thumbnail and index. No account. A different pattern opens a different vault, with no vault list. Encrypted iCloud backup is included free, restored with a 9-word recovery phrase. Plus is $19.99 a year or $39.99 once.
- Obscura. States AES-256-GCM and publishes its encryption code. Pro adds up to 10 vault slots, each with its own password. No accounts and no cloud. The App Privacy label says Data Not Collected. See Cryptile vs Obscura.
- Encamera. No account needed. Face ID and PIN. Code open for review; the cipher is not named. The listing says no ads and no tracking. See Cryptile vs Encamera.
- Safe Lock. PIN, Face ID, DotLock and other lock types. A fake password opens a fake gallery. Cipher not stated. The App Privacy label says no data collected. See Cryptile vs Safe Lock.
- Apple's Hidden album. Built in and free, locked with Face ID or Touch ID. It is not a separate encrypted vault. See Hidden album vs a vault app.
Facts checked 2026-10-26 from each App Store listing: Obscura, Encamera, Safe Lock.
When should I stay with Private Photo Vault?
- You use a Mac. Its listing covers Mac with Apple silicon. Cryptile has no Mac app yet.
- You want a break-in report. The listing describes one with a photo and GPS location.
- You already pay for Cloud Vault. It is a password-based encrypted backup of up to 50 GB.
How do I move my photos out?
Private Photo Vault's own export steps are in its app. The general pattern for any vault is in how to get photos out of a vault app. In short:
- Export each album from Private Photo Vault to your Photos library.
- Import them into the new vault, then delete them from Photos.
- In Photos, open Recently Deleted and delete them there too. Otherwise they stay for 30 days.
- Compare counts before you delete the old app.
If you pay through the App Store, cancel in Settings → your name → Subscriptions, per Apple's cancel a subscription page for current iOS, checked 2026-10-26.
What this doesn't protect against
A vault cannot stop someone watching you unlock it, or a screenshot of a photo on screen. During the move, iCloud Photos may upload the exported photos. Lose both your Cryptile pattern and recovery phrase, and that vault cannot be opened.
Do it with Cryptile
Cryptile derives the key on your phone from your pattern. There is no account, no server and no ads, and the encryption core is published for audit.
Cryptile is free for 2 vaults, 100 photos and 10 videos. Plus is $19.99 a year (7-day free trial) or $39.99 once.